Peep Peep Peep

They're heeeerrrre!

Yesterday morning around 7:20 am just as I was warming up the car for my 20 mile drive to the YMCA the phone rang. It was the post office in town calling to let me know our shipment had arrived. When I got to the post office they took me into the back and before I even saw them I heard them...63 peeping chicks! It was an exciting trip home with the box on my lap...DH had opened one corner of the top of the box so I could see if they were ok but as soon as I pulled the lid back 63 fluffy little heads looked up at me with that...'lets fly the coop' look. I put the lid down but stuck my hand gently inside the box..oh my...it was warm...and OH SO SOFT. When we got home hubby went out to the garden shed and turned on the warming lamps in the trough and put their food and water on top of the wood shavings and newspapers. Then I opened the box and started lifting them out. Oh MY they were soft and just so darn cute!!! With all the excitement and 'cutness' I forgot to count the chicks as I took them out of the box...can you imagine trying to count 63 chicks all zipping around?! I'm just going to have to trust Murray McMurray's count I'm afraid. Most of the chicks are Buff Orpingtons which are a beautiful English breed that is the most gorgeous gold color. They are a friendly bird who for the most part love to be handled. We had two...now we're down to one and they are my favorite breed. We also have 8 black Australorp chicks another big friendly breed who have great personalities....our handsome rooster is a black Australorp. Did you know that a hen of that breed has the record for laying 364 eggs in one year?! That's a lot of omlettes!!!

I see you! Little Black Australorp in a sea of Buff Orpingtons.

Little fluff ball

Taking a drink

Keeping warm under the heat lamp

So soft

Nap Time!

Wouldn't you just love to put your cheek on that soft little pile of fluff!

I hope you'll come back and visit us here on the farm again. I promise to take lots of 'chick' pics!

I hope your day is a sunny one.

Maura

Future Kitchen Renovation

This is the fall/winter curtain I made for under the sink. I'm looking for material for a spring/summer curtain next. (oh oh excuse the salad bags I left on the counter for the chickens!)

We spent three months renovating 3 bedrooms the dining room and living room in our little farmhouse last summer. We still have the bathroom the laundry/back porch/entry and the kitchen left to do. My husband and I are in no hurry to tackle any of it...we're still burned out from the last renovation! BUT...since we're not in a hurry to do any inside work I'm still renovating in my head. Well...thinking of the future renovations..getting ideas and trying to work with what I have now. I decided to take the doors under the sink off and sew a curtain....this one is for fall/winter but I'm trying to find the perfect spring cottage fabric. I'm leaning towards something like what I had in the kitchen of our last major kitchen renovation...a Waverly fabric or close with yellows, raspberry reds, greens, creams in stripes and flowers. I'd like to make a spring /summer valance for the window...curtain for under the sink and a runner for the little old farm table. I'm sure I'll find something on Ebay but so far nothing at the fabric stores. This kitchen renovation won't be a major as we won't be changing the cabinets but I think I'll paint them and we'll put a crown molding on them. The ceilings will be beadboard and I'm hoping eventually to tear up the linoleum and paint the old wood floor..maybe even stencil it too. These are just ideas for now but I'm having fun working it out in my head. If you have any suggstions I'd love to hear them! What would you do if this was your renovation?!

We'll probably change the countertops out but paint the cupboards

I love this yellow cupboard! These are the other two rooms that need renovating. Notice the stockings in the mirror in the bathroom hanging over the tub! Geez Maura.

These are temporary shelves that my DH put up for me. We'll build an old fashioned cupboard looking thing there eventually and I'll probably sew a curtain to the bottom just like the sink. We changed out the hardware.

We needed all the storage space we could get so DH put these little shelves up too. He sure is a sweet heart!

For now...we've got lots of work to do outside. I'm not in any hurry for the inside as I want to enjoy the 'ride' and take my time to give this old kitchen some country cottage character that reflects our personalities. I hope you'll continue to join us as we continue our adventures down here on the farm. 

Apron Giveaway!

I LOVE aprons so today I thought I'd post about an apron giveaway that the Apron Goddesses are sponsoring. The apron is from Retro Revival and you an choose any one you want from her collection!! Oh my...if you love aprons like I do you you'll LOVE the selection that both Blogs offer..there's something for EVERYONE!

 I hope you'll drop over and visit the girls and enter their contest...it's over March 25th.

http://aprongoddesses.blogspot.com/2010/03/retro-revival-giveaway-choose-your.html

Happy Sunday!

This is Spring?

Spring

We woke up this morning to the chirping of a cute fluffy yellow chick but outside it was snowing and the wind was blowing. Isn't that a contradiction of sorts...this IS the first day of spring isn't it? Yesterday was a gorgeous day...sunny and warm...grass turning green...plants popping up...a good day to be outside on the farm...spring was in the air! We headed into town to pick up supplies for the arrival of 63 chicks early next week...we were at the checkout when we heard very LOUD chirping. A lady and her husband had a lone chick in a little carton that they were returning to the store...seems her son had bought 1 baby chick when they weren't looking and proceeded to take him home while he and his friend whistled and laughed in the back seat so mom and dad wouldn't hear the peeping! Needless to say mom and dad weren't too pleased as they had no place to put the chick and they had 2 cats...so they came back to return the bird. Just as my husband and I were leaving the store I overheard the store clerck saying that she was very sorry but they could NOT take the chick back. The poor people were quite upset as they didn't know what to do. I told my husband what was going on so he said to go back and offer to buy the chick from them since we were already set up for our chicks to arrive...so I did. They were VERY relieved and said they didn't want any money... I could just have it ...so off we went with a fluffy yellow spring chick. As I sit and write this post...he/she is chirping away from the dining room as snow is swirling around the house. This is NOT what I pictured for the first day of spring! The strange thing is tomorrow is to be 43 and sunny and 63 by Tuesday..."Welcome to Kansas" as they say here.

The first day of spring here on the farm

Yellow fluff ball

Snuggles

Looks like bath time